Atlantic League stars play for the love of the game

Published 8:14 pm, Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Photo: The Associated Press File Photo

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Scott Cousins, whose 2011 collision with Giants catcher Buster Posey ended Posey’s season that year, played in Wednesday’s Atlantic League all-star game in Bridgeport as a member of the Somerset Patriots. less

Scott Cousins, whose 2011 collision with Giants catcher Buster Posey ended Posey’s season that year, played in Wednesday’s Atlantic League all-star game in Bridgeport as a member of the Somerset ... more

Photo: The Associated Press File Photo

Atlantic League stars play for the love of the game

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BRIDGEPORT >> Virtually all of the players in Wednesday night’s Atlantic League all-star game at The Ballpark at Harbor Yard have played for minor league affiliates of major league organizations, and many of them have spent time in the big leagues.

Cousins spent parts of three seasons with the Florida/Miami Marlins and had five plate appearances with the Los Angeles Angels in 2013. He’s a career .179 hitter with two home runs.

But in May, 2011, Cousins barrelled into San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey in a home-plate collision that resulted in a broken fibula and torn ankle ligaments for Posey. It ended his season, and at the time, some thought his career — though he’s obviously bounced back quite nicely and is probably the best all-around catcher in baseball today.

The play had a huge impact on baseball, however. Most consider it the catalyst for new rules implemented last year that prevent runners from crashing into catchers (unless the catcher does not provide a lane to home plate).

One thing is certain: Cousins is no longer interested in discussing the situation.

“I’m beyond talking about that,” he said prior to Wednesday night’s game.

He was, however, more than willing to talk about his path to the Somerset Patriots, the independent league team for which he now plays. After his season with the Angels in 2013, Cousins was signed by the Texas Rangers with the idea of converting him from an outfielder to a left-handed pitcher. Cousins, who had pitched in college at the University of San Francisco, stayed in extended spring training with the Rangers for the entire 2014 season, then was released early this past spring training.

“I was all for it,” he said. “They didn’t really give me much of an opportunity. I guess they just didn’t like the progress of it, so I got released this past spring after only throwing 2/3 of an inning.”

Cousins, 30, got a call from the Patriots after his release. He discussed the idea of pitching for them with manager Brett Jodie.

“I came to the conclusion that we had enough good arms, and I didn’t want to take innings away from them,” he said. “Especially when I’m playing every day. So that was that.”

Cousins is hitting .264 with a homer, 18 RBIs and 12 steals in 43 games for Somerset this season. He hit second in the Liberty Division lineup on Wednesday night.

FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME

You might think a player like Cousins, still relatively young and not far removed from the majors, is simply using the independent leagues as a showcase to get back to “The Show.” After all, there have been quite a few independent leaguers who’ve made it to the show, most notably Kevin Millar and current Red Sox Daniel Nava.

But that’s not how Cousins looks at it.

“I came here for closure for me, to be honest,” he said. “To prove to myself that I could play ... I didn’t want somebody taking the cleats away from me saying I wasn’t good enough. I wanted it to be on my own terms. Fortunately, Somerset gave me the opportunity to come play every day and showcase pretty well. But I’m not really worried about it. It’s actually liberating that I’m not taking that anxiety into the games. I’m just out there trying to have fun and play as hard as I can.”

None of the players in Wednesday night’s game were more familiar with the Atlantic League than Lew Ford. Once a Red Sox draft pick who spent parts of six seasons in the majors with the Twins and Orioles, he is now in his sixth season with the Long Island Ducks. Playing outfield and serving as the team’s bench coach, Ford is hitting a robust .361 with eight homers and 58 RBIs in 67 games.

At 38, Ford would seem to have put away his dreams of returning to the big leagues to bed. But not quite.

“It would be nice to get the chance,” he confessed. “I still feel like I can swing the bat. You never know, some teams might need that. Somebody might need a right-handed bat at some point. I know I’m down on that option list, because I haven’t got the call yet. But if it comes, I’d love to get the chance again.”

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Still, like Cousins, there’s really only one reason why he’s continuing to play baseball.

“I still love playing,” said Ford, who supplements his meager independent league salary by playing winter ball in Venezuela. “I don’t want to go out and embarrass myself because I’m getting too old. If that starts to happen, I have to see if I still want to do it. But I still feel like I can play at a high level, and I enjoy it. This is a good place to be.”